Josh Ellingson’s Portraits of Disfigured Cats

Let’s make this perfectly clear. Josh Ellingson is not a fan of cat disfigurement. But every now and then, a slightly “different” cat makes a splash on the net with its inspirational story, and that’s where Ellingson’s portraits come into play. While some people look the other way when seeing a maimed animal, he is able to show the beauty in these out of the ordinary creatures. Read on to see Ellingson’s portraits of two fascinating cats.

The first cat to get Ellingson’s attention was Chase, a kitten who lost his whole face when he was hit by a car at only a few months old. While Chase is a happy kitty who loves to play with his owner and other cat friends, his appearance is startling to say the least. Because many blog readers were sensitive to that sort of a graphic image, Ellingson’s portrait was often used in place of a photo when stories discussed the unfortunate animal.

Last week, Frank and Louie got the Ellingson treatment after the two-faced “Janus” cat made the news when he was named the oldest living Janus cat. While Frank and Louie may not be as visually shocking as Chase, the portrait still remains a kind tribute to a kitten that some people would have trouble seeing as beautiful.

While we’d never hope to see more disfigured kittens, we do hope that Ellingson keeps up this great work when stories like this are made public. Are there any disfigured animals you’d like to see get their own portrait?